Chapter 1. Instant Netcat Starter

Welcome to the Instant Netcat Starter. This book has been especially created to provide you with all the information that you need to get up to speed with Netcat. You will learn the basic terminology of Netcat, how to install and/or compile Netcat for Windows or Unix/Linux platforms, and many of the options that can be used to leverage the power and flexibility of this popular tool for a variety of scenarios.

This guide contains the following sections:

So, what is Netcat? – Find out what Netcat actually is, the two primary modes that Netcat is run under, what you can do with these modes, and why it remains invaluable in information security and network operation toolkits to this day.

Installation – Learn how to download and install Netcat on both the Windows and Unix/Linux platforms, including compiling and executing the binaries.

Quick start – This section will get you started on using Netcat in each of its primary modes. Here you will learn how to perform some of the core tasks essential to using Netcat effectively.

Top 3 features you'll want to know about – Many people state that Netcat is only limited by the imagination of the person using it. In this section, you will learn about each of the parameter switches and when to use them to achieve your goals.

People and places you should get to know – This section provides you with many useful links to the various project pages and people, as well as a number of helpful articles, tutorials, blogs, and the Twitter feeds of Netcat and other related applications that are used in conjunction with Netcat.